Fizzled out
by alyxrae
Summary: Its been over a year since Ruby and the others left, leaving Yang by herself. Giving up on the life of a Huntress, Yang spends her days wandering around Patch. That is until she hears gunshots in the middle of the night. Volume 3 spoilers, if you're not caught up yet. A little bit of YangxMerc. Inspired by the timeskip outfits.
1. Chapter 1

Yang was late. Again.

Since this was becoming a common thing, she didn't really thing her dad would mind. Taiyang was just happy one of his daughters came home at the end of the day. It was a sad thought, but true. The tiny town on the island of Patch was calming down. The setting sun making everything glow with a warm orange light. Yang tugged at her jacket with her one good arm. The weather had been playing with them lately, teasing at winter but not full committing just yet. But the trees sure seemed to ready for the cold.

As Yang walked down the path towards home, all of the trees around her were sheading there leaves. They fell on her almost like rain getting caught in her hair and smashed under her shoes. The piles forming all around her made her remember when she and Ruby were kids. They'd rake up all the leaves and make piles right by the door, jumping out and scaring their dad when he came home. She always had the best pranks to put on their dad. But that's when they were kids. And they sure as hell weren't kids anymore.

Yang reached a fork in the road; one side heading deeper into the forest and the other to home. She turned left and was welcomed with the sight of her little home. The house never seemed to change, even though everything around it had. _And everyone in it,_ Yang thought. Lately she seemed to be thinking all kinds of things like this. The harsh truths of the world finally had caught up to her. After years of looking on the bright side, she was just tired.

Yang dug around in her pocket for her keys. She jammed them into the lock and went inside.

"Dad?" she called. "Hello? I'm home."

There was no answer. Yang slipped off her jacket and tossed it on the couch. She went to the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter.

 _Yang,_

 _I have to leave Patch for a few days. One of my old friends from Beacon needs help on a job and asked if I would come along. I wasn't going to go at first, I haven't been doing much Huntsmen work lately but she insisted. Don't worry about your old man. Were just taking care of some Grimm that have been spotted on the borders of the city. Apparently there's too much for just one person to handle, but I'm sure she's just being cautious. I'll be home in a few days. Keep your scroll on you and call if you need anything._

 _Taiyang_

"Well that explains where he is." Yang sighed and tossed the letter back on the counter. After making two trips around the kitchen, she decided she wasn't hungry and headed to her room. Yang hurried past the bathroom trying not to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It had been over a year since it happened, but the sight of her missing arm was still shocking. It's not something she was sure she would ever get used too.

Yang rounded the corner to her room. It was exactly how she left it; bed unmade, scroll sitting in the same place and her single gauntlet collecting dust on her desk. The Ember Celica looked odd by itself but Yang didn't have the heart to get rid of it. She forged that beauty back when she just 13; in Signal Academy when everything still seemed so exciting. When being a Huntress was the goal she was working non-stop towards. When she dreamed of living everyday as an adventure. Not knowing where her life would take her or even who she'd meet along the way. Now the only goal she had was to get a good night sleep. Yang fell onto her bed, kicking off her shoes in the process. She glance at her pajamas, but decided they were too far away for her to care.

Sleep was so very close. She closed her eyes and began to feel it creep up on her.

 _Buzz buzz._

"Aw come on…" Yang rolled over. Far away from her scroll.

 _Buzz buzz._

She covered her head with her pillow.

 _Buzz buzz._

Yang sat up and grabbed her scroll. It took her a moment to realize who exactly was calling. She considered for a minute not answering at all. It had been nearly a year since she talked to Sun and she wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with that much well, sunshine. Yang took a deep breath and hit answer.

"Hello?" she tried to sound casual.

"Wow, didn't think you would answer." Sun sounded pretty much the same, even though so much time had passed. "What's up, Yang?"

"Not much. You're the one who called me, remember?" Yang lay back down. "What do you want, Sun?"

"Can't I just call a friend when I'm bored?" she could hear the smile in his voice. His bright additude was already getting on her nerves.

"I guess you don't get bored very often then, huh?"

"Hey I'm not the one whose been ignoring everyone for the past year."

"I'm not ignoring anyone-"

"Oh really? The how come this is the first time you've answered my call?"

Yang didn't have answer. There was silence for a while and for a moment she thought about hanging up and falling asleep. Forgetting all about this awkward conversation. Then again, she didn't want to prove him right.

"Alright, you have a point. But can we not talk about that right now? Besides you didn't just call me out of the blue. What's up?" the change of subject worked.

"Right, well I saw something. Actually someone kinda well… would interest you? Or it might make you Yang-gry… it could go either way." Sun was mumbling all the sudden. Almost like he didn't want to talk anymore.

"Spit it out, monkey boy."

There was a long sigh on the other end and then, "I saw Blake yesterday."

The name took a long time to register in her mind. Yang had spent the better half of her solitude trying to forget the name and the former best friend it belonged too.

"Yang? You still there?" Sun asked, his voice softer then she had ever hear it before.

"Y-yeah." She took a breath. Her heart pounding. "Where did you see her? Did you talk to her? What did she say? Did she-?"

"Whoa, whoa one at time!"

"Where did you see her?"

"At a White Fang meeting. Don't worry it's not like she was a part of it or anything. She was hiding out in the crowd like me. I go to those things every once and a while Just to keep up with what the baddies are doing. Which, to be honest isn't much lately. Their leader seems to be taking a vacation."

"Hmph. Where ever he is he should stay there." Yang glanced down at her arm but then quickly looked away. A mixture of grief and anger began bubbling up in her.

"Anyway, I tried to talk to her but it's like she disappeared. One second she was there and the next; poof. I wish I could say I was surprised but I guess disappearing is what Blake's best at."

Yang didn't know what to say to this. She had never heard Sun say anything so spiteful before. Then again, he really liked Blake. Her running away must have hurt him too.

"Thanks for telling me, Sun. It's been awhile since I've heard anything about anyone."

"So I guess Ruby and those guys still haven't shown up?" he yawned.

"Nope. Can't reach them on their scrolls either. Everything has been so messed up since that day."

"You got that right. Hey I got to go. I'm supposed to meet up with Neptune soon."

"Do you guys go everywhere together?"

"Pretty much."

"Y'know people are gonna start talking if you keep that up."

"Yang Xiao Long, did you just get your sense of humor back?"

"Good bye Sun."

"Later Yang!"

The line went silent. Yang looked down at her scroll and sighed. It was the first time she had talked to any of her friends in so long. She'd be lying if she said the Sun's call wasn't the best thing that had happened to her in weeks. She'd be lying again if she thought that it wasn't important to see them every once and a while. Whenever thoughts like this entered her mind, Yang reached up and rubbed her arm.

She pulled at the bandage that hid the scar. It fell in a heap on her bed and she was left with the harsh reality. Her fingers trace the bumpy surface, the skin felt warm on her finger tips. Yang closed her eyes. Every time she did, she saw herself whole again. And not just with both arms intact, but standing next to Blake. Ruby and Weiss on the other side. She saw Jaune and the rest of Team JNPR laughing and smiling with Pyrrha. Penny smiling wide at them and say salutations. Everyone had lost something that day, but at least when they looked in the mirror they were still themselves. They still looked the same. Yang was left with a scar where her arm used to be and bruise on her heart that only seemed to get worse.

The sun had completely set by now, and Yang just wanted to forget for a little while. She went from feeling great to complete crap in two seconds. Sleep was a well needed break. She lay down and huddled underneath her blanket. The moon light shined in her room, covering everything in its pale light. Yang stared her gauntlet, her eyes drooping more and more until they closer all together. Sleep came quick.

Yang wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even if anytime had passed at all. All she knew was that she heard gunfire.

"One… two, three….four…. five… what is going on out there?" Yang sat up and went to her window. There was nothing for a while, just trees and moonlight. Then a flash lit up the tree tops off to the west. There were several more flashes and shots and Yang leaped out of her bed. She put on her shoes and hurried the outside.

The crumbling moon was bright enough to light her way. The down side of that were all the creepy shadows it made in the trees. Yang turned left, opting not to go to the town. Nothing ever happened there anyways. However everything seemed unusually quiet. There wasn't any owls hooting, bugs chirping into the night. Even the wind seemed to die down after those shots. Yang walked for a little while longer, wondering to herself if this was a good idea.

"Hmm… let's see. It's the middle of the night, I have no weapon and practically ran towards gunshots." Yang stopped in the middle of the road and sighed. "I guess somethings don't really change."

She chuckled a bit and spun around on her heel. It wasn't much of an adventure, but at least it got her out of bed. The wind picked up, ruffling the leaves around her. "Huh?" something not a leaf caught her eye. Yang strode over to the edge of the path. Fluttering in the breeze was a torn piece of fabric stuck on branch. She reached out and grabbed it. It was still warm to the touch. It was a dark color, nothing really special about it. Still she put it in her pocket and looked around.

Behind the tree there were foot prints in the grass and a whole heap of twigs littering the ground. By the look of things they all had been broken off when whoever ran off the path and into the woods. She squeezed through the branches and followed the steps deeper into the forest.

Going to the more wild parts of the island didn't scare her that much. After all, she had this place mapped out before Ruby was out of diapers. Still, going out here alone and without a weapon probably wasn't the best idea. Grimm had been spotted more and more over the past year, and they were getting more powerful. While Patch hadn't seen too much activity everyone was still pretty cautious. Except for Yang that is.

 _Bang._

Yang froze. She quickly looked around and saw another flash of light followed by a gunshot. A loud, low roar rumbled the very ground. There were several more gunshots and Yang took off running. The trees opened up to a large meadow. One that Yang and her family had visited many times. Only now it was full of Ursa and one loan figure fighting them off. Yang stood on the side lines, watching whoever it was fight for their lives. It wasn't a place she was used to being, but what other choice did she have? She hadn't been in a fight in over a year, her single gauntlet was at home collecting dust, and she didn't even know how to fight with one arm.

There were four Ursa left, tons of dead one's scattered on the ground. Yang watched the mysterious fighter leap up into the air as one charged. Their foot came down on the beasts head, plunging it into the ground. Two more swiped at him, but he rocketed up in the air again using the blast from his weapons. Just like she used too. The fighter dodge every swipe from the beasts claws, and fought back by delivering some of the most powerful kicks she'd ever seen. Soon enough, there was only one left.

All the sudden, Yang noticed something move in the shadows. On the opposite side of the meadow the biggest Ursa she's ever seen was lumbering towards the fight. It must have been drawn out by all the noise just like she was. The fighter didn't notice.

"Turn around… turn around." Yang mumbled. The fighter was taking his time with the last Ursa. Probably feeling confident that the battle was almost over. The giant Ursa was right behind him. "Turn around you idiot!" Yang sprinted from her safe spot and right towards the action. The fighter looked up and shouted something. Yang barreled past him and aimed from the Ursa. She planted her feet and punched as hard as she could. Her aura lashed out to her fist, both protecting it and making it more powerful. The Ursa was sent flying back, howling in pain. The fighter whooshed past her and took out the beast with one loud shot.

Yang took a moment and shook her hand. "Owwwww…. That's what I get for being unprepared…." She groaned. Punching a two ton monster with her bare fist was kind of a bad idea. Even with her aura protecting her. She looked down at her hand. It was already red.

"Well, well, well. Didn't expect to see you here." Yang froze. She knew that voice, and it wasn't one she wanted to hear. Very slowly, she turned. Mercury Black was standing on top of the Ursa looking just as cocky as she remembered.

"You!" she shouted, regretting very much saving his life.

"And you." He smirked. "Now, what was your name again? Yawn?"

"It's Yang." Her fist clenched by her side.

"Right, Yang. The fiery one with the bad temper."

"I don't have a temper!"

Mercury smiled, almost triumphantly. Yang decided to let that one go.

"What are you doing here in Patch?" she asked.

"Is that where I am? Hmph I thought I was a little too far south. Later." He jumped off the Ursa and began to walk off.

"Hey! You can't just come here, beat up a bunch of Ursa and leave!"

"It's not like I'm hurting anyone."

"Not yet anyway." She spat back. "Where are you going anyway?"

"Why do you care?"

"Cuz I got a little sister out in the world to worry about. The last thing she needs is some jerk like you on her tail."

Mercury spun on his heel and glared at her. His eyes narrowed, like he was sizing her up. He had the same look on his face before they fought in the tournament. The tournament. Yang glanced down at his leg. Guilt suddenly filled her entire being. He was a jerk, and a bad guy but she still broke his leg. In her mind, she was still absolutely sure he attacked first but it still didn't make her feel any better. Yang's shoulders dropped.

She glanced up at Mercury only to realize that he was staring at her missing arm. Yang tensed up and hid her arm behind her back. She had almost forgotten. Mercury crossed his arms and looked at the ground.

"I'm pretty sure you had two of those last time we met." He looked up and tried to catch her eye. "How did that happen?"

"Why do you care?" Yang asked.

"I don't, not really. Just a little curious." He shrugged.

Yang reached up to grab her arm, but missed. She always aimed too low. "Think about it. I bet you can figure it out."

Mercury nodded. After that it was quiet for a while. Neither of them spoke or moved, they just stood there. Yang looking at the ground, while Mercury was looking at her. The wind picked up, blowing leaves all around them. Yang's long blond hair whipped around, getting tangled in the process. She felt like crying, but wasn't going to let herself fall apart in front of this jerk.

"Here." Mercury had appeared right in front of her. His hand held out with a piece of paper fluttering in the wind. Yang looked up at him, confused.

"Uhh, what's that? Is it explosive?" she glared at the paper.

"Don't be weird. It's a number of this guy I know. He can help you out if you want."

"Help me with what?" she took the paper cautiously.

"He makes prosthetics; strong enough even for a brawler like you."

Yang flipped open the paper, expecting it to be a joke. But it wasn't. There was a name a number, and even an address to a shop on the mainland. Yang had passed this place before. It was real.

"Wait a second, how do you know this guy? And why are you helping me?"

Mercury glanced at her, his finger twitching at his side. He rolled his eyes and knelt down.

"Uhh what are you doing?" she asked. Mercury answered by rolling up his pants leg. For one of the few times in her life, Yang was speechless. Shinning in the moonlight was a metal leg where Mercury's real one should have been. He fixed his pants and stood up quickly. There was a funny look on his face. Like a mixture of embarrassment and regret. So many questions and realizations flew her mind, but the first one blared at her like a siren.

"So you had a metal leg this whole time?" she stared at him, unblinking. "So you faked it when I supposedly broke your leg?" Anger was beginning to bubble up in her.

"You did break it, but it's not that hard to fix. And not leg; legs." He crossed his arms and stared at her. Almost like he was challenging her to say something. Yang wanted to be angry; that one event catapulted her into the worst day in her life. But for some reason, her anger just faded away. She didn't understand why, and didn't try too. It was too much to think about right now. She pocketed the paper.

"That explains your weird fighting style. I thought you just really liked leg day at the gym." She put her hand on her hip and smirked.

Mercury returned the gesture. "Coming from the girl who can probably bench press a train."

Laughter bubbled up inside Yang until it she couldn't help it anymore. She laughed, her shoulders bouncing up and down.

"It really wasn't that funny." Mercury almost had to shout to be heard. Yang took a few more seconds to calm down, taking a few deep breaths.

"Your right, it wasn't. But I wasn't just laughing at that. This whole situation is just weird. We have no reason to be talking to each other. No reason to help one another." Reality began creeping up on her again. "There are so many reasons for me to hate you. So many reasons."

"You have a point." He said. That blank, tactical look back on his face. "I'm not exactly a good person, and I don't really want to be. I guess it is kind of funny."

Yang turned away and looked up at the stars. The crumbling moon was glowing brighter than ever. The stars twinkling faintly. If it wasn't for the strange company, this would have been a nice night. Yang glanced over at Mercury. He had been looking at her, but turned away quickly. It was time to go home.

"Thanks for the number. I'll think about it." Said Yang. "Oh and if you see my sister out there, you better not hurt her. I don't know what you and your gang are planning, but she's going to stop you."

" _She_? What you're not gonna try? Last I remember, you had a pretty good punch."

Yang glared at him, not ready to have this conversation with anybody. And especially not with him. She turned and began walking home. "Just, get out of here. I'm tired."

"Giving up isn't a good color on you." Mercury called out to her. "When you're done moping, I want a rematch."

"What?"

"I want to beat you fair and square. It's that simple." There was glint in his eye, a dangerous one.

"Tch, whatever." And with that, Yang walked off. Mercury lingered for a second longer before turning around and doing the same. The two walked off in opposite directions, towards two completely different goals. But there was a moment where it didn't fell so different. Where everything felt kind of normal. Yang tossed the thought out of her mind. There'd be plenty of time to think about what just happened tomorrow. But right now, the only thing that she wanted to do was sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Mercury watched out of the corner of his eye as Yang walked further and further away. Her bright blond hair practically glowing in the moonlight. Soon enough, she disappeared into the trees. Mercury counted to twenty and then headed in her direction. Lucky for him she had so much hair. It served at a beacon guiding him as he followed her through the trees. It didn't take too long for her to get back to the main road. Mercury recognized the place from when he first ducked into the forest. He didn't expect a hungry group of Ursa to be lingering so close to town but it turned out to be a good thing. It lead his target right to him. Yang tripped as she wiggled past the tightly packed tree line and nearly fell on her face. She caught herself just before she got a mouth full of rocks. Mercury smirked; the girl swore like a sailor.

Yang headed back up the path to a fork in the road that he had passed earlier. Following it lead them to a little house. Actually it was more like a cabin. The comfortable looking place was made of dark wood and looked a decent enough size. Yang unlocked the door and headed inside. And now he had to wait. Being patient wasn't one of Mercury's strong suits. He would have much rather preferred being in the middle of the action. Using his hard fought skills in the heat of battle was one of the few things he actually enjoyed. But right now he needed information. Cinder needed information.

Ever since the tower fell, Cinder had become obsessed with finding Ruby Rose. Mercury had never seen her so angry or crazed before. With her added new power, she became ten times more terrifying then before. But Ruby did something, something big enough to even make Cinder nervous. No one knew what happened that day on top of the tower, but whatever that little girl did it threw his boss for one hell of a loop. His partner had tried to ask her about it but was met with silence. Unlike Emerald, he didn't try to pry the information out of Cinder. Emerald always made the mistake of treating Cinder like a friends instead of her boss. Mercury never made that mistake. He knew what he signed up for.

Right now his job was to find Ruby Rose and bring her to Cinder. The little brat had somehow become a threat to them. To everything they had so carefully planned. Her big sister said earlier that night that Ruby was _out in the world_ , but he had to be absolutely sure Red wasn't here. If he didn't, if he missed something, well he didn't want to think about.

At the same time, when he and Emerald were sent to find her, they really didn't know where to start. Emerald called dib's on Atlas; knowing full well that one of her former teammates lived there with her family. The little princess was going to be difficult to get to, at least for a normal person. For Emerald it was going to take no time at all. However Mercury was left floundering for a while. Blake, the emo Faunus who used to be on team RWBY disappeared without a trace so it was no use trying to find her. It took a while, and a lot of bad acting to find out that Ruby had lived on an island before going to Beacon. One thing led to another, and Mercury found himself on the island of Patch where a Hunter named Taiyang Xiao Long lived with his two daughters. Only thing was that he ran into the wrong daughter.

Mercury pulled out his scroll and checked the time; covering the light as best he could with his hand. It had only been 45 minutes, but he decided to risk it. Waiting just wasn't his style. He stood and walked cautiously to the door Yang had disappeared into. It was locked. Being prepared, Mercury pulled out a set of lock picks that he had stolen from his dad years ago. It was the only thing he had from his time at that house. The two thin pieces of metal slid into lock with ease. He turned them slowly until there was the slightest click. He pocketed the lock picks and went inside.

It was pitch black inside, the only light coming from the hall and the door behind him. Mercury left the door open slightly to give him more visibility and stood for a moment to let his eyes adjust.. He scanned the room. It was kind of small, some might even call it cozy. There was a tiny living room with a well-worn couch and armchair. Bookshelves covered with picture and other items. On his right was the kitchen and something on the counter.

Mercury walked over silently and read the letter. _Hmm, so she's alone._ The letter was address to Yang and Yang alone. Already confirming what she had said earlier. Ruby probably wasn't here. He looked over everything else regardless before heading down the hall. There was one bedroom door open. The moonlight pouring out of it; lighting his way. He slowed down as he got closer and peaked around the corner. Just like he hoped, Yang was fast asleep. She was sprawled out on her bed, her hair taking up half of the mattress. Mercury stared at her.

It was a little weird seeing her look so calm. It was also a little weird being this close and not throwing kicks. Yang came off as the kind of person who loved to be the center of attention. That bright and bubbly person that usually got on his nerves. At least that's what she was like at Beacon. He wasn't sure what kind of girl she'd turned into during this year of solitude. He didn't feel like finding out. Mercury hurried past her room being more cautious than ever. If she woke up, he did not want to be on the receiving end of her fists. Well, _fist_.

There was one more door at the end of the hall. It was closed which could cause a problem if someone were in there. Mercury pressed his ear against the door but heard nothing. He turned the knob slowly. As soon as he could, Mercury peaked inside and was relieved to find out it was empty. There were two beds in here and not much else. Just more useless things to make it _homey._ There was nothing here to suggest that Ruby had been here recently.

On one of the bedside tables, there was another note. Mercury picked it up and opened it. It had been folded and refolded over and over again, causing it to tear in a few places. He read it.

Ruby wasn't here, and from the sound of things hadn't been for a while. The note was address to their dad, and it held no clues to where she could have gone. There was just some lame excuse for leaving and some weak attempt at reassurance. Mercury took a quick picture with his scroll and then put it back where he found it. After snooping a bit longer, he figured that there was nothing else useful to pick through. He exited the room and closed the door softly. As he passed Yang's open door, something different caught his eye. Mercury froze.

Yang had rolled over and was now lying on her stomach. Her missing arm was hanging over the edge of the bed. Where her limb should have been was a large bumpy scar that made him flinch. It took a while before he could look away. There was a soft rustling coming from the bed and Mercury reacted quickly. He plastered himself to the wall and began to shuffle as quietly as he could to the door. There was more little noises, followed by a soft little bark. Mercury looked down.

A tiny black and white dog was looking up at him, its tongue hanging out one side of its mouth. Mercury stared at the dog, utterly confused. He should have heard the little thing sneak up on him. The dog barked again and began to sniff his boots.

"Zwei…? Zwei if there's a ghost out there I don't want to know…" Yang's sleepy voice made Mercury jump. He threw caution to the side and hurried to the open door, not bothering to look back or lock it. Staying on the safe side, he ran as fast as he could away from the little house.

Mercury didn't have a destination in mind, he just ran. Most people run until their legs are tired but he didn't know what that felt like anymore. He passed the field where all the Ursa had finally disappeared and went into the forest on the other side. He was forced to stop when he reached a cliff. Mercury glanced around; this was good as any place to stop and get a plan together. But first...

Mercury plopped down on the ground and pulled out his scroll. It only rang once before someone answered.

"Did you find her?" Cinder's cool voice came from the other end.

"No. And but the look of things she hasn't been here for a while." He told her about the note.

"How aggravating."

"Tell me about it. On the plus side though her sister is out of the game."

"Dead?"

"No, just out of commission. Doesn't look like she's fighting anytime soon." Mercury laid back on the grass.

"What a shame. She was so easy to manipulate."

"Nothing easier to push than a hot headed girl trying to prove herself." Cinder chuckled. "I'm going to stay here a bit longer, see if I can pick up a trail or anything."

"Good. Report anything you find."

"Will do." And with that he hung up. There was no reason to tell her that he actually talked to Yang. That she save him from embarrassment and a good few bruises. Not being able to take down a few Ursa would give Emerald fuel to annoy him for months and that was the last thing he wanted. Cinder didn't need know that he gave Yang a contact for her arm. That she definitely didn't need to know.

Mercury stared up at the stars and wished his mind would stop roaming. His thought kept going back to what he saw. Back to Yang's missing arm. Back to the scar that looked so damn familiar. He had spent a good portion of his life without his real legs. Granted the metal ones he had now were infinitely better for fighting but there was a time when he was like that. When he was missing a part of himself and felt like he'd never be whole again. Yang had that same look in her eyes. The firecracker he'd fought back then was gone and it bugged him. It bugged him to know that he looked that weak once.

"What a pain." Mercury groaned. He hated the fact that he had this weakness. That's all his memories seemed to be. Nothing but a weakness. Mercury sat up and stretched, ready to find a place to crash. He glanced around and decided right away that this wasn't the place. It was too open and made him feel vulnerable. He stood up and decided to find someplace with better cover. Just before he left, something he noticed something. On a part of the cliff that stuck out the most there was a rock of some sort. As Mercury got closer, he realized it was grave. He knelt down and brushed off some leaves that had covered the stone. The name on it was Summer Rose.

Mercury made the assumption that this person was most likely related to Ruby. And therefore, Yang. He made a mental note to check out the name when he got back to the mainland. After all, you can learn a lot about a person by looking into their past.

* * *

"Zwei?" Yang rolled out of bed. she dragged her feet to the door and looked for the little dog. Zwei was sitting in front of the door occasionally pawing at it. Yang yawned. "What are you doing, Zwei? It's the middle of the night. C'mon lets got back to bed."

The dog turned to her and barked. He paced back and forth in front of the door before sitting down again. Yang groaned. "Fine, lets go outside. You know you have your own door out back- wait what?" Yang realized that the door wasn't locked. "Thats weird..." she opened the door and looked outside. The night was silent. Nothing out of the ordinary. Zwei ran outside and barked over and over again.

"Yeah i'm not going out there. C'mon Zwei." Yang waited for the little dog to run back inside. She closed the door and locked it, turning back and checking twice before she shuffled to her room. Yang fell on her bed and fell asleep quickly. She dreamed about fighting Ursa, a sliver streak rushing past her and taking out several at once. In her dream, she was whole.


	3. Chapter 3

"I swear if I catch a cold out here, I'm going to kill you." Mercury sneezed nearly dropping his scroll in the process. Emerald laughed on the other end.

"It's not my fault you're stuck out in the middle of nowhere. You should have been quicker." She taunted.

"You probably would have gotten your way even if I had called dibs."

"Yeah your right about that." She gloated. He could just picture her smug smile.

"So how's the search going over there? I've hit a dead end."

"So far nothing, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Still, I never knew Atlas was full of so many annoying people." She grumbled.

Mercury tried not to laugh. "You think everyone is annoying."

"Yeah and you are the worst of the worst."

"Oh come on, you know your into me."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Don't go Emerald! You know were supposed to be together!" Mercury practically shouted into his scroll. There was a loud bang and then the line went dead. Mostly likely Emerald tossed her scroll away instead of hanging up like a normal person. One of the little joys Mercury had was messing with his partner. He and Emerald had been working with each other for such a long time, it was almost like they were friends. Almost. Being in the business they were in, friendships weren't a common thing.

Mercury stretched out on the grass, the morning sun warming him up after the chilly night. For the past three days, he had been tailing the other sister for any clues about Ruby. At the very least he thought that she'd keep in touch with Yang. But so far he hadn't seen her pick up her scroll once even once. He noticed whenever she left the house she didn't even take it with her. Staying here and longer was just a waste of time.

The more he watched Yang the more he felt… well weird. He couldn't quite figure out what it was but something about her just made him feel different. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, that wasn't clear yet. And he didn't have the time to figure it out. He checked the time on his scroll. The next ship heading to Vale was leaving in an hour and he was going to be on it. Patch was a waste of time, and he didn't want to get on Cinder's bad side. Not now that she had a crazy power that could tear down mountains. Mercury sat up and looked around at his little campsite. He got up and got rid of any trace that he had been there. As he strode back to town, he began to plot his next steps in finding Ruby Rose.

* * *

"… forty six… forty seven… forty eight… forty nine… fifty! Woo, talk about out of shape." Yang fell back on the floor, trying to catch her breath. She tried not to laugh at how pathetic she was at this very moment. Not too long ago she and Nora would have sit-up competitions until dawn. Once they almost reached 500 each, but then Weiss and Ren stormed in and made them go to bed. Those two always liked to ruin a good time. Now Yang couldn't even do 50 sit-ups without wanting to give up. She lay on the floor of her room, a little annoyed.

Zwei jumped down from his place on Yang's bed and circled her twice. The little dog licked her arm before settling down in her hair.

Yang groaned. "Come on Zwei, don't lay in my hair. You'll get stuck again." She poked him over and over again until he eventually got up. The day was still young and Yang was trying to decide the best way to waste it. It had been three days since her dad took off to Vale. And also that other thing happened three days ago…

Yang got up and went to the kitchen; her jacket still slung over the back of one of the chairs. She dug around one of the pockets until she found what she was looking for. The little piece of paper Mercury had given her was probably the most interesting and confusing thing that had happened in a while. She flipped it open and looked at the information once again.

This felt like an olive branch. Some strange way to make amends for what happened in the past. He never said it was, never hinted that he might feel some sort of remorse. Then what reason did her have to give her this information? What was the motive? Yang didn't feel like finding the answers to these questions. She crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash.

Just as she was about to go to her room to sulk, there was a knock on the door. Yang froze and looked down at Zwei. "Did you hear that too?" she whispered. There hadn't been a visitor at the house in ages, even when her dad was home. Zwei tilted his head to the side. Yang jumped as another knock rang out; louder this time. She strode over to the door and swung it open.

"Sun?!" she couldn't believe her eyes. But there he was, standing at her door looking exactly the same as she remembered. "What are you doing at my house?"

"Hey Yang!" he smiled. "Got any food? I'm starving." He invited himself in and went straight to the kitchen like he'd been there hundreds of times before.

"No, come in I insist it's not like your invading my space or anything…" Yang mumbled to herself. She shut the door and joined him in the kitchen. Sun had his head stuck in the fridge, his long blond tail practically wagging. "So, what are you doing here?"

His head popped out from behind the fridge. "Aw c'mon, aren't you happy to see me?"

"That really depends on your answer."

"Well I kind of got into some trouble back in Vale." Sun abandoned the cold food and went for the bowl of fruit on the counter.

"What kind of trouble?" Yang asked, concerned.

"I crashed another White Fang meeting yesterday and kind of got recognized. It was bound to happen sooner or later, after all the times we've messed with them. So I decided to hang low for a while."

"So you came to Patch?"

"First I was going to try to go back home to Vacuo, but this place was closer. I tried to get Neptune to come but…"

"…but I live on an island." Yang thought back to their battle in the tournament. A small smile began to play on her lips. "What is it with him and water?"

"It's a long story, like really long." Sun sighed. He grabbed an apple with his tail and tossed it to Yang.

The two talked over for the better part of the morning, eating all the fruit Yang had in her house. Sun's past year was the exact opposite of hers. Full to the brim with adventure. From the sound of things, him and his team had stuck around Vale for a while after the tower fell, helping put things back together. But like Team RWBY, they had been separated. Sage and Scarlet were pulled back home by their parents. After all, parents can be just as unpredictable and troublesome as Beowulf's. Since then, Sun and Neptune had been pretty much on their own. Trying to figure out how to live in this new version of Remnant. By the time he had finished, it was well into the afternoon.

Yang yawned and headed over to the pantry, looking for something to munch on.

"Hey do you wanna head into town?" she turned to Sun, who was taunting Zwei with his tail. "I need to pick up some stuff. And I guess I could give you a tour."

"Sure! I was getting a little bored just talking." He hopped up. Yang ran to her room to change, grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. Sun on her heels. The two of them walked to town, making small talk all the way. Yang didn't feel much like talking about her time this past year and Sun seemed to pick up on that little hint. He steered away from any talk about Ruby and Yang's feelings. And for that she was grateful.

Sun seemed overjoyed by the sleepy little town. He hurried this way and that, acting like a little kid. Yang rolled her eyes and tried to figure out what was so special about it. Growing up here; the place kind of lost its charm a long time ago. Now it just seemed normal. It took a very stern look, but Yang managed to wrangle Sun and get back on track. She led him over to the small grocery store where she picked up things for the next week. It wasn't clear when Taiyang was coming home, so she decided to prepare. She passed the bags over to Sun who took them happily. The sun was just beginning to set when they began their journey back home.

Sun had already fished an apple out of the bag with his tail. He took a big bite. "So I thought you lived with your dad?" he asked, his mouth full.

"I do. But he's over in Vale right now. Y'know, Huntsmen stuff." She shrugged.

"So… you're alone?" there was a hint of worry in his voice. It kind of irked her.

"Mmm yeah but it's not like I completely alone. I've got Zwei and I see people from town every once and a while. Oh and the other day I saw… oh that's right." Yang looked down on the ground.

"Saw who?"

"You're not going to believe this, but I ran into Mercury the other day."

Sun dropped his apple. "Mercury? That guy you-" he shut up before he could finish his sentence. His cheeks turned red.

"Yeah, that guy." Yang's anger began to boil. "But you're not going to believe what happened." Yang told him everything. The gunshots in the middle of the night, the Ursa, Mercury's stupid face and his big secret. She even told him about the number he gave her for a prosthetic.

"So that whole time, his legs weren't real. He framed you? And then he tried to help you? What the hell…"

"Right? It doesn't make any sense!" Yang's temper flared.

"Hey Yang?" Sun had stopped walking.

"What?"

"What if they planned for you to do that? Like they planned for you to break his leg."

"What-? That's impossible, Sun. The fights were randomized, remember?"

"What if they weren't."

Yang stared up her friend, his words not really sinking in. There was no way they could have planned it. No way they could have known she would do that. Then she thought of the other fight. About Penny and Pyrrah. What were the odds that s girl with the ability to control magnetism would be put up against a girl made of metal? Yang's head began to spin.

"What do you know, the monkey boy is pretty smart." The voice was back again. That annoying voice that belonged to that annoying person. Sun and Yang turned to see Mercury strolling a ways behind them. Sun dropped the bags on the ground and pulled out his staff. He stepped in front of Yang, acting all protective of her. The gesture irked her even more. She never needed protection before.

"What you do want?" Sun asked his voice a little scary. Mercury stopped in front of them and sighed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he glared. Yang pushed her way past Sun.

"Cut it out, Mercury. What do you want?"

"Whoa, why so angry? I thought we made some progress the other day?" he faked a pout.

"I- don't even know what to say to that." Yang felt her cheeks get warm. Mercury rolled his eyes.

"Jeeze you can't take a joke… just thought I'd fill you in on something. This little island of yours is about to be overrun."

Sun lowered his staff. "What do you mean 'overrun'?"

"I mean Grimm, dozens of them heading this way."

Silence. No one moved. Even the air seemed to stand still. Yang didn't want to believe him, couldn't believe him. There was no way he was telling the truth.

"You're lying." Sun's grip on his weapon tightened. Mercury simply shrugged and crossed his arms. Yang looked back and forth between the boys and tried to figure out what true. She stared at Mercury. He was doing that thing again, where he wasn't looking her in the eye. Granted she wasn't very good at telling when people were lying, but she felt like trying. Mercury was just as calm and collected as ever, the only weird thing was that he wouldn't look her in the eye. She took a step forward.

"You're telling the truth." She concluded.

Sun gaped at her. "Yang! Don't believe this jerk. He's obviously lying!"

"My dad is in Vale, getting rid of Grimm. What if some of them ran off and ended up here?"

"And blondie's got it." Mercury chimed in. "There's a whole group of Huntsmen and Huntress dealing with them, but not enough to get them all. The ones that survive are running and this place is right in their path."

Yang let the information sink in. It kind of made sense, what with all those Ursa they had seen the other day. The creatures of Grimm were getting more common on the island, but not like that. Not in a group of that size.

She turned to Mercury. "So what are we going to do?"

Both boys looked at her. "Uh who said we?" Mercury asked.

"I did." Yang put her hand on her hip and put on her most confident smile. "You aren't afraid now, are you?"

"Watch it, blondie."

"Look, my dad was the only Huntsman on the island. I don't think any of the other people here know how to fight. Like it or not you're going to stay and help us defend this island."

"Or what?"

Yang's temper began to rise. "Or I'll break something you can't fix that easily." That familiar fire started roaring in her belly. She could feel her adrenaline beginning to rise as a new challenge shoved its way into her life. Mercury was silent, once again staring at the ground. If it were a lull in conversation with anybody else, Yang would feel the need to fill it, but not with Mercury. Not at all. The last time they spoke she realized something interesting. She could learn a whole hell of a lot more about him in these silences than she could while he was talking. After all, he knew how to lie better than any politician. Finally Mercury gave in.

"Fine, I'll stay and help." He mumbled. "But don't expect me to save either of you if you get in a jam."

"Pfft, like we'd need saving." Yang turned back to Sun with a huge smile on her lips. Sun looked a little shocked when she turned back around. He quickly picked his jaw off from the floor and hurried to pick up the things he'd dropped. Yang bent down to help him and was suddenly hit with a terrible sense of dread.

"They should be here sometime tomorrow." Mercury began walking away. "Hopefully not too early, but if you here gunshots in the morning don't ignore them, please. I'd hate to do all the work myself."

"Yeah whatever." Yang mumbled. Once they had everything, Yang hurried back up the road to her house. Sun almost had to run to keep up with her.

Just a few minutes ago she had felt so confident and strong. So much like her old self that she had almost forgotten. But when she tried to reach for a bag with her right hand, the whole world came crashing down on her all over again. Mercury and Sun would be fine defending this place from a Grimm attack, but her? Yang hadn't picked up her gauntlet in over a year. She was missing an entire limb. And she could only do 50 sit-ups in a row. Yang didn't stand a chance up against a horde of Grimm. Not when she still felt so fragile. One hit, and she would shatter.

* * *

AN: I made a playlist for Yang while wring this. I think I'm becoming obsessed.


	4. Chapter 4

Mercury kicked the ground, the puffs of dirt covering his boots. He watched as Yang and her friend disappeared around the corner. Her long blond hair bouncing with every step. It took a moment for him to realize what exactly he agreed too. So now he was staying on this crummy little island for another day. And he was being thrown into a fight he didn't really care about. Perfect.

Granted it kind of was his fault. He was well on his way to Vale when he noticed the pack of Beowulf's trudging through the water. At first he didn't put much thought into it. But then he thought about what they were heading to, or really who. Next thing he knew he was on a round trip back to Patch. There was no thought process involved, it was just a reaction. Like ducking when someone was aiming for your face. Just a reaction. Mercury tried not to laugh at himself. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he was falling for this girl. He shook his head and tried to get the idea out of his mind. There wasn't a moment in his life where he could remember feeling anything remotely like love. Even being friends with someone didn't feel normal. It was probably just sympathy; after all they did have a pretty big tragedy in common. Mercury flipped up his color against the cold breeze and kept walking.

Now he had time to kill and nothing better to do but wander. Night was just about to fall and already there was a chill in the air. Winter was right around the corner. Mercury headed back to the forest where he'd made his camp days ago. It was near the shore which meant it'd be even chillier, but at least he'd have a good view of everything. He'd be the first to know when those Grimm came walking up on the shore.

Part of him hoped that they would all drown in the crossing. Maybe some of the bigger ones would sink to the bottom of the ocean and they only be dealing with the weak ones. Then again, having a supply of monsters to practice on was kind of appealing. Mercury was feeling restless after only a few days of sitting around. He needed to let off some steam.

Mercury was taking his time now, strolling through the field where he first ran into Yang. Now that he was seeing it without Ursa everywhere, it was actually kind of a nice place. Long flowing grass, swaying in the breeze. A couple of wild flowers dotted here and there. The stars above were just beginning to shine in the sky. Mercury looked up and wondered just how long he'd be chasing a ghost. That's all Ruby Rose seemed to be. There hadn't been even a whisper of the girl since the tower fell. Now he was seriously wondering about his life choices.

The peaceful silence was broken by the sound a branch cracking. Mercury turned quickly, ready to fight. What he saw instead was a mass of blond hair stumbling out of the tree line. Yang stopped suddenly when she saw him and quickly turned around, hiding her face.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled.

Mercury crossed his arms. "Y'know this island is pretty small. It's not that big a deal to run into someone." He prepared a slew of things to say that would annoy her, but when she turned back around they all vanished. Even though her face was dry, she had obviously been crying not too long ago. Her eyes were still red and poufy and her jacket sleeve had tiny splotches on it. Mercury's stomach dropped. He turned away, not wanting to stare. That look was far too familiar.

Yang sat down on the grass, stretching out her legs. They stayed like that for a while and Mercury figured he wasn't needed. He took a few steps back and tried to escape.

"Can I ask you a question?" Yang suddenly asked. Her voice sounded a little hesitant, like she was second guessing herself. Mercury considered running, not wanting to be interrogated. Against his better judgement, he nodded for her to continue.

"Does it ever get any easier?" Yang's voice was dry, almost emotionless even though she was so clearly on the edge. Mercury glanced at her. He sat down next to her, weary to keep his distance. She still was an enemy after all.

"That is a very good question." He mumbled. Mercury looked down at his legs, thinking back to a time when he didn't have them. Back when he was kid and nothing seemed possible. The memories made his head hurt.

"But you were able to replace what you lost. Doesn't that help?"

"Just because it looks and works the same doesn't mean it'll fix everything. There's still a scar. There will always be a scar." Mercury leaned back on his elbows, trying not to think too much on his own words. It was advice he desperately need when he was young, but no one was around to give it. Maybe he was telling himself just as much as he was telling her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?" Yang scooted around until she was facing him, sitting cross-legged like it was story time. Mercury glanced at her from the corner of his eye, trying to figure out her angle. No one knew what happened to him. Not even Emerald or Cinder. There was a strict rule among the three of them to not pry deeper into their past then need be. It was a necessity in their world. He studied Yang for a few seconds until he came to an odd revelation. She was genuinely curious about his past. There was no hint of mischief or malice behind her eyes like he was so used too. Still, he wasn't going to tell her everything.

"It's a long story, but basically my dad was an asshole and one nasty drunk." Those words held no emotional connection for him anymore. It was just the facts.

"He- he did that to you?" Yang lilac eyes had gone wide.

"Yeah let's not go into that. After all, I barely know you." He winked at her causing her to sigh. They stared up at the stars in silence for a little while, letting the night settle in around them. Mercury kind of wished she'd get mad again and tell him to get lost. Then he'd have an excuse to leave. He'd never told anyone that thing about his dad and now just letting it hang in the air, it made him uncomfortable. There was nothing he liked least then someone knowing too much about him. Especially the enemy. Yang finally filled the silence.

"My mom took off right after I was born."

"Huh?" Mercury sat up.

"My mom. Right after I was born, she left me with my dad and never came back." She was staring at the ground, lost in the memory.

"That- sucks." The word didn't live up to the feeling.

"Right? I mean what kind of person does that to their kid? The only time she's ever talked to me wasn't even to my face. She got in touch with my uncle Qrow and let him pass on the message."

"And that was?"

"'I helped you once, but don't think I'll do it again.'"

"Yikes. Mother of the year over here." Mercury was getting a little tired of the talking, but Yang didn't seem to want to stop. She pushed herself up from the ground and started pacing.

"All I ever wanted was to know more about my mother. As soon as I found out about her, it was all I could think about. But now? Her only daughter gets her arm sliced off by some masked manic and she doesn't even care! I mean look at me! Why doesn't she care?!" Yang's eyes were practically glowing red at this point. The wind had stopped and the air around her felt warmer. Any second now she was going to explode. Mercury took this as his cue to leave.

"Alright I'm gonna go now." He hopped up and brushed the dirt off his pants. Yang spun around, nearly whipping him in the face with her hair.

"What?"

"Look you're obviously having some sort of mental breakdown right now and I am just don't want to deal with that. Catch you later." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking.

"You can't just leave, you promised-"

"Calm down, you hot head. I'm not _leaving_ leaving. I'm just getting away from you right now."

Yang hurried to catch up with him. "You can't just walk away!"

"Really? Watch this." He picked up speed.

"Ugh you are the worst!" Yang stomped the ground. Any second now there would be literal fire. "Haven't you ever been this mad before?"

Mercury didn't put much thought into his next few words. "The last time I was as mad as you, my dad ended up dead. Hmph, not that anyone's complaining."

He expected some sort of retaliation. More yelling, a punch anything but silence. But that was all he got. Mercury stopped and turned, waiting for the firecracker to explode again. When he finally looked up at Yang, it was like taking a hit right to the gut.

"You… you killed your dad?" her voice was filled with so much distrust it was practically visible. She was standing a fair way away from him, but still looked uncomfortable. He had said too much.

Mercury crossed his arms and tried to look as nonchalant as he could. "Does it matter? The world is better off any way."

"Even if that is true, that's a pretty horrible thing to admit to. Not to mention seriously twisted thing to keep a secret."

"Who said it's a secret? Emerald and Cinder were there." Now he was just trying to get her to leave. This whole night was a mistake. Talking to her was a mistake. Everything was a mistake. Yang's brow furrowed.

"Stop trying to freak me out! I already know you're a no good little shit, now I just get add murderer to the list." Her words hit as hard as her fists. "I don't know what I was thinking. I almost trusted you. Guess I have been out of it lately." Yang looked down at her hand for a moment, a distant look on her face. She clenched her fist and glared at him, her eyes on the verge of red. "Don't ditch us when the Grimm come. If you do, the next thing I'll break is your face."

And with that, Yang spun around and walked back to the trees. Mercury's eyes latched onto her bright blond hair until she disappeared from sight. He stayed long after she left, going over every detail of their conversation. For a moment there, everything seemed normal. Like they were just two kids hanging out under the stars. But the world they lived in was much more complicated than that, and he had a helped make it that way. Mercury cursed at himself for letting his anger get away from him. He stalked off to the cliff side where he'd make camp and watch for the Grimm to attack.

Mercury climbed up into a nearby tree, the whole cliff visible from his perch. He leaned back on the branch and zipped up his collar. It was going to be the coldest night yet. The soft rustle of leave were like a sweet lullaby, making his eyes droop. Mercury jumped at his scroll went off in his pocket. He flinched at the bright light, taking a few moments for his eyes to adjust.

It was a message from Emerald.

 _Red isn't here. The Schnee girl has no clue where she is :( Meet up in Vale?_

Mercury read the message a few times before he remembered what he was doing here in the first place. His fight with Yang had consumed him, and for a while he forgot what his job was. He decided hours ago that staying here was a waste of time, and yet here he was. Helping a girl who hated his guts. Mercury closed his scroll and shoved it back in his pocket. There was no reason for him to stay. No reward for helping Yang and Sun. Even with all those facts staring him in the face, Mercury got as cozy as he could and watched the sea until he fell asleep. He had made a promise to the girl with golden hair, and he didn't want to break it.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you for the follows, favs and comments! Its keeping a procrastinator like me motivated lol

* * *

That night, Yang couldn't seem to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind went into overdrive. Every possible horrible outcome of tomorrow came screeching into view. What if she chickened out and didn't show up? What if Sun got hurt trying to make up for her weakness? What if she got hurt again because she wasn't as strong as before? There were just too many things flying around her mind. It didn't help that she ran into Mercury tonight. For a second, it seemed like they were actually getting along. A little tension filled of course, but that was to be expected. They were on opposite sides of a war. But just for a moment, there was a whisper of normalcy. A tiny little window when everything melted away and they were just _them_.

Then Mercury had to go and ruin it. Yang knew she shouldn't be surprised; she knew he was a no good, rotten excuse for a human. She just didn't realize how much that title suited him. And honestly, she really wished she wasn't right.

Maybe it was wrong of her to be so mean. Maybe her temper got away from her again. Maybe she should really be thanking him. After all, he has no reason to stay. And yet, she knew that he would. She knew deep down that he was going to show up tomorrow. No matter what she said to him. And she had no idea why. She really should be thanking him.

Yang fell into a fitful sleep, her mind wanting to stay away but her body just too tired to comply.

* * *

The sun had just begun to rise over the tiny island of Patch. For a while it looked like any other day. That is until Mercury spotted a dark shadow heading for the docks. From his place on the cliff side, he could just make out the town on the eastside if the island. The waves were crashing into the rocks harder than ever, almost like there was a storm nearby. Off in the distance, the thrashing water where the Grimm were crossing looked pitch black. Mercury stretched his arms over his head and headed back into the trees.

Looks like it was time to wake up the firecracker and monkey. Last night Mercury realized he needed to treat this like any other mission he went on with Cinder and Emerald. He needed to be quick and accurate. Not get distracted by anything or anyone anymore. It was a mistake hanging around with Yang last night, and also offering to help her the first night they met. He needed to distance himself from it all. Approach the day like he normally did and then get the hell out of town. He'd keep his promise and that would be the end of it. Why was it so important that he keep his promise?

Mercury had wandered all the way to the path near Yang's house. His thoughts were interrupted by a herd of people shuffling down the dirt path. On the opposite side directing them deeper inland was Sun. The Faunus noticed him right away and edged his way through the crowd to meet him.

"They're heading to high ground to stay safe. Yang was right; none of them know how to fight." Sun crossed his arms and watched the steady stream of people pass by.

"They're almost here." Mercury commented. Sun just nodded and looked down at the ground. The two stood still while the last family hurried down the road. A low thunder-like roar made the both of them shutter.

"Before we do this," Sun stepped in front of Mercury; looking more serious than he thought possible, "how do I know I can trust you? Like what's stopping you from just bolting the second a fight starts?"

"Honestly? Nothing." Mercury took a little joy in seeing the other boys' confusion. He waited just a little longer before continuing. "There's really no reason for either of you to trust me. The only thing I can give you is my word and we both know that's not a very good thing to go on."

"Yeah that's for damn sure." He grinned and began messing with his gloves. "Ready then?"

"Shouldn't you go get the other one?"

"Yang isn't coming." Sun stared of into the distance.

"Come again?"

"I'm not going to get her because she's not coming."

Mercury shook his head. "I must have hit my head or something, but I thought you just said were not bringing the human wrecking ball? And were about to collide head on with a wall of Grimm? This is a must be a bad joke."

"Look, Yang is my friend. I know her better than you do and she's- she's not the same." He glanced over at the fork in the road; where Yang's little house lay hidden. "I know she's probably gonna hate me for it, and maybe this isn't the right thing to do but right now she needs time. Time to get better."

"Y'know time can damage a person just as much as it can heal them."

Sun turned away, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. Mercury felt like he did it again; like he spoke too much. But maybe this time it wasn't a bad thing. Just then there was another roar, only this time it sounded much closer. The two boys turned towards the town, the dark cloud looking more menacing.

"Looks like that's our cue." Sun glanced over at Mercury. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Let's go."

* * *

Yang woke up suddenly as Zwei jumped up on the bed. "Wha-? Zwei… not now, it's too early…" She lay back down and pulled the covers up to her chin. Something was off though. Everything was just too bright. Yang opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust. Finally her mind caught up.

The covers flew off the bed as Yang barreled over to her closet. Zwei nearly getting stepped on in the process. She tore off her pajamas and got dressed as quickly as she could.

"Sun! Why didn't you wake me up! " There was no answer. Yang stomped into the kitchen. The room was empty. She looked around, confused. "Sun?"

Zwei ran into the room heading straight for the front door. The little dog began pawing at the door, running around in circles and barking. One faint pop made her jump. It took a few seconds for her to realize what had happened. Sun had left her behind.

A dull fire began whirring around in her belly, her anger tainted with uncertainty. All last night she wrestled with the idea of staying behind. Letting Sun and Mercury handle things on their own. Zwei jumped up on his hind legs and barked at her. Yang shuffled back to her room, feeling defeated. She fell back on her bed and sighed. A loud roar rattled the window.

"That sounded kind of close…" she mumbled. Yang's legs began bouncing up and down, she closed her eyes. Not too long ago Yang would have jumped on the chance of showing off her skills. Charging head on into fight and tearing everything apart. There was a part of her that missed it; that thrill that came with being in the heat of battle. That overwhelming sense of pride when you came out the winner. But everything was different now. She was different now… or was she?

Yang suddenly felt a thought dancing around in her head. Everything had change, but instead of changing with it, she had let herself be drowned by it. Carried along in a direction that was so not her style. Yang opened her eyes and raised her arms up. With her one hand, she made a fist and punched the air. "Screw this." Yang jumped out of bed and grabbed her gauntlet. She wedged it underneath her short arm and slipped her free hand into its glove. It felt comfortable; its weight so familiar. She stood for a moment, letting herself get used to the uneven feeling.

A loud rumble interrupted her thoughts. Yang hurried to the front door and ran off towards the sound. As soon as she was out the door she could see the looming darkness the Grimm had brought with them. A horrible storm cloud had planted itself over her town.

Yang ran as fast as she could, hoping that Sun and Mercury were alright. As she rounded the corner to town, a Beowolf blocked her path. Yang skidded to a stop, firing a shot in the ground to catapult her out of the way. A claw whooshed past her. Yang leaped forward and attacked, striking it six times before the thing even had the time to react. She pulled back one last time and hit the Beowulf square in the jaw. It crumped to the ground and slowly began to fade away.

There wasn't time to revel in the glory. The rush of adrenaline that was now pulsing in her ears. Yang grinned and rolled her shoulders. There was plenty of work to be done. She charged ahead, gaping at the now wrecked town she grew up in. Buildings were crushed and smoking, Grimm were fading away into nothing, and there was rubble absolutely everywhere.

Yang punched her way through monster after monster. Each hit fueling her adrenaline. There was still a crazy amount to deal with and no sign of Sun or Mercury. A quiet worry began swimming around the back of her mind. After she dealt with the last of the Beowolves, an Ursa burst out of a nearby building and attacked her right side. Yang wasn't fast enough to block and was sent flying into store front.

The glass shattered and she was sent straight into the back wall. It cracked as she hit, nearly giving way completely. Yang stood up quickly and shook out the glass from her hair. Her temper rising in the best possible way. The warm feeling of her semblance was beginning to stir.

Yang launched herself forward with a blast from her gauntlet. She punched the creature right between the eyes and sent it flying back where it came from. She grinned triumphantly. Just then, something else came flying by.

Sun crashed into the ground, an Ursa falling close behind him. Yang acted quickly and struck the thing down before it could cause a problem. Sun jumped up and shook off the dust that had stained his shirt.

"Thanks. Guess I wasn't paying attention." He looked a little beat up, but nothing too bad. Most of all he looked tired.

"Don't mention it. Oh by the way," Yang walked over to him and punched him in the arm.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"That is for leaving me behind this morning."

"Er… well you see-"

"It's okay. I get it." Yang shuffled her feet, unsure of what to say. She decided to stick to business. "So how are things going? Where's Mercury?"

"He's somewhere near the docks. We got separated a while ago but I'm pretty sure I heard some shots from over there. Things are going better than I thought. There's a lot of them, but they're not too strong. Looks like we got lucky."

"Kind of lucky. We still have a lot of work to do." Sun nodded in agreement. Yang loaded more rounds into her gauntlet and turned towards the docks. It was barely there, but she definitely heard the familiar boom of Mercury's boots. "Alright, you stay here and make sure none of them make it any further. If they go too far inland they might attack the others."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to help out Mercury."

Sun grinned knowingly. What he knew exactly, Yang couldn't figure out. "Sounds like a plan. Good luck!" And with that, he hurried off after a pair of Beowolfs that had tried to slip by. Yang took a deep breath and ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

"What a pain…" Mercury blocked a swipe from the monsters claws with his leg. It bounced the metal, making the Wolf confused. He dashed in and attacked before it had time to recover.

Mercury felt like he had been fighting forever. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Sun. It could have been minutes or maybe even an hour. These things just kept coming. One after another after another; like some never-ending parade. They weren't posing much of a challenge, but they were sure wearing on his stamina.

All the sudden the ground rumbled beneath his feet. The Beowolves that had been gearing up for an attack howled sharply and suddenly ran away. Mercury looked around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. The water around the docks exploded, rising in the sky like a geyser. And from the water a giant Death Stalker charged onto the beach. The terrifying monster thrashed back and forth and screech. It tore at the wooden dock with its giant claws.

"Perfect…" Mercury mumbled. He thought about high tailing it out of there. Looking for Sun and taking the thing down together, but the moment had passed. The Death Stalker's beady red eyes locked on to him. It screeched again and began to charge. Mercury stood at the ready.

* * *

A piercing screech made Yang's ears ring. The sound was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. A pack of Beowolves came galloping from the docks. Yang stopped and prepared for another fight. The beasts completely ignored her and ran passed; yelping and whimpering all the way.

"Okay…? That was weird." Yang watched them head into town, confused. Just then there was another screech. Louder and more frightening that before. Yang hurried to the noise. It took a moment for the scene to sink in. A huge Death Stalker was tearing up the tiny port on her island. It claws snapped nearby trees and its tail struck down all the buildings in reach. Something like this could level a good chunk of Vale. Last time it took all of Team JNPR to take a Death Stalker like this down. And right, now Yang was on her own.

A grey streak zoomed in front of the monster, a claw chasing after it. Mercury was doing an incredible job of staying alive as the Death Stalker thrashed this way and that. Yang watched, impressed as he managed to get a few shots off while dodging. The monster shrieked and tried swiping at Mercury's legs with its tail. He jumped, dodging the attack perfectly. Unfortunately, this Grimm was smarter than the others. The Death Stalker attacked with its claw seconds after Mercury jumped. It latched onto his leg with a loud snap.

Yang's anger burst forward as Mercury let out a cry of pain. "GET OFF OF HIM!"

She launched forward, catching both of them by surprise. Channeling that oh so familiar fire of her aura, Yang struck the claw that had a hold on Mercury. It cracked, making the Death Stalker shriek. Mercury was released and fell to the ground. He rolled off to the side, nearly avoiding being stepped on. Yang leaped back, dodging the other claw.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned. Mercury responded by pushing himself off the ground and firing two shots from boots. The monsters broken claw was too slow to block the attack. They hit it on the side of it head.

"Took you long enough!" he grunted.

"HEY-"

"Move!" Mercury pushed her back as the monster tail came crashing between them. Yang charged, firing a few rounds at its face. Even though it only had one good claw, that didn't seem to make this any easier. In fact it seemed to make it even more dangerous. The Death Stalker began attacking sporadically, making it impossible to figure out what to do. Yang jumped back, her mind racing.

"Hit it in the head!" Mercury shouted.

"I'm know- oof!" That brief exchange distracted her. The monsters tail slammed into her side, knocking the wind out of her. Yang latched onto the pointed tail. She held on tight with her arm completely at a lost for what to do. The head was right below her. She had a clear shot. Only her one arm was too busy holding on to actually take the shot. What was she going to do?

"Yang!" Mercury was running towards them. "UP!"

She grinned. Yang positioned her feet underneath her and waited. Mercury dodged the Death Stalkers one good claw. He quickly climbed on top and launched himself into the air with two blasted from his boots. Yang leaped towards him, grabbing his outstretched arm. Mercury boosted her higher into the air with another two shots and then let go. He fell back down and landed one incredible blow to the claw; cracking it just like she had. Yang fired round after round behind her, riding on the extra air time Mercury had given her. Once she felt this was as high as she could go, she spun around and began plummeting back to the ground. With both claws out of commission, she had a clear shot. Yang took aim. Her fiery aura exploded as soon as she made contact with the Death Stalker; helping her drive it into the ground. In one incredible hit, the fight was over.

Yang coughed; a huge puff of dust was floating everywhere. When it finally settled, she realized that she had created a crater. It wasn't the first time this had happened but what was new was the fact that she had gotten her fist stuck in the ground. The Death Stalker was already fading away, the only thing left was its tail. Yang tugged but her hand was firmly in the ground.

"Need a hand?" a voice called from above.

"Good pun; annoying timing." She called back. Frustrated she fired a round from her gauntlet. The shot freed her hand, but caused her to fall on her bum. Yang groaned.

"Smooth." Mercury called. Yang looked up and frowned however her retort got lost somewhere in her throat. Mercury was perched on the edge of her crater; smiling at her. Actually smiling. Not that cool guy smirk her seemed so fond of, but a genuine smile. Yang felt a different sort of heat rise to her cheeks. She shook off the feeling and stood.

With a little bit of difficulty, Yang climbed out of the hole and rolled onto the surface. She took a moment to catch her breath. She peaked over at Mercury who seemed to be doing the same. He was sitting on a nearby rock, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic motion. All the sudden, Yang remembered something. She got up, stomped over to Mercury and punched him in the arm. He fell off his perch and was completely covered in dirt.

"What the hell was that for!?" he sputtered, dust falling from his sliver hair. Yang smirked.

"That was for letting Sun leave me behind this morning." She said factually. Mercury mumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms. Yang reached down to him. "C'mon, let's go find Sun."

"I'd rather not." He looked away.

"Stop being antisocial. Come on."

"No."

"Fine," Yang looped her arm around his and yanked him off the ground. As soon as he was standing, he shoved her off. "Don't go disappearing now." She grinned.

Yang turned to leave but stopped when she heard a thud.

"Son of a-"

"Did you just trip?" she scoffed. "And here I thought you were more coordinated than that."

"Just leave me alone." He looked away again. Yang frowned. She looked down and suddenly noticed his hand resting awkwardly on his knee. Something was wrong. She knelt down next to him and gently placed her hand on his. He didn't resist when she moved it away. Yang tired not to gasp. Mercury's pant leg had been torn at the knee revealing his prosthetic leg. The Death Stalker's claw had crushed part of his knee. It looked more like a scrap pile now than something useable.

"Can you stand?" she asked. He nodded. Yang stood and offered her hand again but this time he took it. "Try putting pressure on it."

"I know." He snapped.

"Hey don't be mean. I will push you." She semi- threatened. Mercury groaned as he tested out his leg, looking utterly furious about the whole situation. "Can you fix it?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah… I should be able to patch it up. Damn thing nearly ripped my leg off."

"Would that hurt?"

"Get your own metal limb and find out." He snapped again.

"Calm down, I'm just asking a question." She pulled his arm over her shoulders, letting him use her as a crutch. "Let's find Sun and head back to my place. I have a tool kit you can use."

Mercury stared at her. "You're helping me now? Why are you helping me?"

Yang shrugged, "Isn't it obvious?"

"You've fallen madly in love with me." He said bluntly. Yang blushed and felt a weird shiver shoot up her spine. She ducked out from under his arm and watched as he fell for a third time.

"Oh come on! Can't you take a joke?" he sputtered. Yang sighed.

"First off, it wasn't that funny. And second I'm helping you because you helped me. You know, I'm returning the favor." She grinned mischievously and held out her hand. "I'm making sure you get a _leg_ _up_ on the situation."

"Oh great, the puns are back." Mercury grabbed her hand and stood.

"Everyone _knee-_ ds a little help every once and a while."

"I changed my mind, just leave me here."

"Okay, okay I'm done." Yang chuckled. She shouldered his weight once again and turned towards the mainland. "Let's go, Captain Peg Leg."

"I hate you so much."


	6. Chapter 6

"… and then I jumped on this one Beowolf and rode it around until it smacked into this other and, I kind of fell off but then I pole-vaulted into this one thing and blasted it into space! It was so awesome." Sun was going on and on about the fight like he hadn't even been there. Mercury turned back to his work and tried to drown him out. The little table in Yang's kitchen had been completely taken over. Mercury was sitting down hard at work, his messed up leg propped up on the seat next to him. Every tool the two of them could find was piled on the table along with what used to be a toaster. A second battle, nearly as bad as the first had ensued over the toaster.

As soon as Yang and Mercury met up with Sun, the trio trekked back to her house to recuperate. He hopped over to the table to sit down and look at the damage, while the other two scrambled around trying to find things that would help. He couldn't help but notice the guilty looks from Yang and the curious ones from Sun. Mercury was used to the curiosity; not many people have legs like his. But the other look made him feel strange. Almost like he was guilty himself. He quickly ignored that feeling. After he got rid of all the worthless pieces in his knee, he had to find others to replace them. His first target was the refrigerator.

The fight lasted nearly an hour. Yang's eyes turned red twice. Sun hid in the other room with the dog. No matter what he said, Yang wouldn't let him anywhere near the fridge. Instead she dug an old toaster out of the cupboard and made him salvage what he could.

Mercury poked around the pieces on the table, most of the studier things already in use. It had been a long time since he had to scrounge around for parts like this. The past few years he had everything he needed for repairs, all at the nice price of _free_. A quick repair like this made him weirdly nostalgic. Maybe nostalgic wasn't the right word. It just made him feel like a kid again.

A door open down the hall and Yang came striding out, her scroll up to her ear. "… I'm sorry, but there wasn't time. Don't worry, dad were fine. I promise- huh? Oh! Okay- see you soon then. Yeah… love you too."

"What's up?" Sun sat at the counter, a bowl of cereal in front of him.

"Well my dad says: good job, call him next time and don't worry about the clean-up. Apparently this has happened before. Like loads of times. They're going to send worker drones from Atlas to help repair the town."

"Nice. I wonder just how many times this has happened. And why more Huntsmen and Huntresses aren't on the job."

"Who knows, but I'm sure my dad will give us the low down." Yang set her scroll down and leaned on the counter, facing Mercury. "So then, how's it going over there?"

"Alright. Could have been better…" he glanced at the fridge.

"Don't even go there, peg leg."

"You know thus would be a lot easier with sturdier stuff. You're fridge would still work… kind of."

Yang glared at him. "No deal."

Mercury frowned. He looked things over one last time. It was the best he could do given the circumstances. He rolled down his pant leg, but there still was a gaping hole. The twisted, make shift knee he was sporting stuck out horribly. He dug around Yang's tool box and found some yellowed rags at the bottom. He tied them together to hide the damage.

"All done?" Yang was trying and failing to look nonchalant. It took everything he had not to comment on it.

"Yeah. It isn't pretty but it'll get me back to Vale." Mercury began putting things back in the tool box.

"So you're leaving then?"

"Looks like it."

There was an awkward silence after that. The only sounds were Sun eating and the dog whining at his heels. Mercury didn't know what to do; if he should do anything. Whatever resolution they came to a few hours ago was still delicate. There was no telling what she'd do if she knew.

"Yang, your scroll is ringing." Sun held out the little device, its screen glowing.

"Huh? Right… hmmm?" she frowned.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. It says _unknown…"_ she hit the answer button. Mercury saw this as a perfect opportunity to slip away. He strode silently over to the door. "Ruby? Ruby is that you!?"

Mercury stopped; his hand inches from the door knob.

* * *

"Ruby? Is that really you?" Yang couldn't help but smile. It was so good to hear her little sister's voice again. Sun jumped up from his seat, leaning right up against Yang's side to try and listen in

"Hey sis! Sorry I haven't call earlier; things have been kind of crazy out here. Oh Jaune and the other say hi!" There was a loud squeal in the background that sounded kind of like Nora.

"Hi… Sun get off-" Yang elbowed him in the ribs. "Wait, where are you guys?"

"Were in Haven- well actually were just outside the city."

"Haven? What are you doing there?"

"Don't worry- were fine everything's going to be fine-"Static started filling up the line. Ruby's voice sounded farther and farther away.

"Ruby? What are you talking about?" Yang shouted.

"-Yang?"

"Ruby!?" the line went dead. Yang held in and listened for a few moments longer, just in case. But it was no use. Ruby was gone. She set down her scroll and tried to understand it all.

"Was that really Ruby?" Sun popped up by her side.

"Yeah… she's in Haven but the call dropped before she could say why."

"Haven…?" Sun crossed his arms and frowned. "That's a long way."

Yang nodded. She looked down at her scroll hoping that it would light up again. Hoping that her little sister would call back and tell her why. Why she left, and what was so important half way across the world? Without realizing it, Yang's hand clenched into fist around her scroll. She held on to it like it was the most precious thing she owned. Finally, she made a decision.

"Sun? You don't have to say yes but, how do you feel about taking a little trip up to Haven with me?"

Her friend grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Really? Aw you're the best banana in the bunch!" Yang scooped him up in a bone crushing hug. One good arm or not, she was still incredibly strong.

"O-kay need to breathe here!" Sun wriggled out of her grasp and took a not so subtle step back. "Also, best banana in the bunch?"

"Come on, it was complement." Sun merely rolled his eyes at her. "Do you think Neptune would tag along?"

"Probably. It's not like he had much going on."

"Alright so well get some sleep, head out tomorrow before my dad gets back to tell us it's a bad idea, pick up Neptune and make our way to Haven. Sounds easy enough." Yang turned towards the table. "Hey Merc, don't suppose you've had a change of- huh? Where'd he go?"

The two of them looked around, but Mercury was nowhere. Everything on the table had been put away and lined up neatly. He'd slipped out without either of them noticing.

"He must've taken off." Sun shrugged. "I kinda wanted to thank him before he left. Oh well." He went back to his seat and poured himself another bowl of cereal.

"Yeah… thank him..." Yang stared at the door feeling a little snubbed. The least he could have done was say goodbye. Then again, the least she could have done was thank him for all his help. Both on the battlefield and off. It would take weeks before she ever process what happened those nights in the meadow. The conversations they had, the fights… everything.

The two of them turned in early that night, Sun sprawling out on the couch mere minutes after his last bowl of cereal. Yang sat in her room and watched the sun slowly set on the island. Big puffy clouds were rolling in from the north, creating a brilliant sunset. But Yang didn't feel like she could appreciate it. Something was off and she had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was. Yang tiptoed out of bed, throwing on jacket. She snuck past Sun snoring on the coach and headed outside.

She began walking without really knowing where to go. He feet lead her most of the way. Before she knew it, she had made it to the meadow. Just like she'd hoped, Mercury was already there. He was looking up at the sky, watching the clouds roll in. Yang stood by his side, not sure what to say or if she should say anything at all. There was still a piece of the puzzle missing. Why did Mercury come to Patch in the first place? He made it seem like he was leaving the first night they met, but then he turned up a few days later to warn them about the Grimm attack. Why did he stick around? She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Trying and failing to understand him. Then an idea struck her.

"You came here looking for Ruby, didn't you?" she gaped at him, the truth hitting her like a gunshot. Mercury stayed silent. "When we came back from Vale, after everything; I heard my dad and Qrow talking about her. Ruby… did something. Something amazing on top of that tower. And Cinder saw, didn't she?"

Mercury's gaze waivered. She was right.

"And now you know where she is. Are you going to tell Cinder?" she asked. Her anxiety shot through the roof at this idea.

"I'll give you a head start." He grunted.

"Why don't you just not say anything at all?" her voice was getting louder; her temper rising. "Why not do the right thing for once?"

"Hey, just because something it _bad_ to you doesn't mean it is to me."

"Hurting people, lying to them? How is that right?"

"Sorry my moral compass doesn't point the same way yours does. Not all of us grew up with that privilege."

Yang felt all her arguments shrivel up in her throat. Never in her life had someone called her privileged. Skilled: yes. Lucky: sometimes, but privileged? When she thought of that word she thought of Weiss. Growing up in what was basically a castle; able to get anything she wanted whenever she wanted. But that wasn't the kind of privilege Mercury was talking about. No… he was talking about something different entirely. It wasn't a far guess to say that she and Mercury grew up in very different worlds. Just by the one fact he gave her about his father, Yang could draw a million conclusions about the terrible things he could have been through. And then there was her. Sure she had some rough times, but at least she had a parent to count on and a whole group of friends to lean on. Friends she spent the better part of the year ignoring. Yang lifted up her arms, the difference between the two getting easier to look at. Did he have anyone to lean on when it happened?

Yang took a deep breath and quieted her ridiculous anger. "Mercury, I'm sorry."

"What?" he spun around to face her, looking almost shocked.

"I'm sorry. For everything. For yelling at you, for dragging you into a fight, and for breaking your leg again-"

"The first time, yeah that was all you. But the second time wasn't your fault."

"I'm the one who forced you to stay so technically-"

"Technically I choose to stay." He crossed his arms and looked down at her; his eyes soft for a moment. "And forced me? Please; you're feisty, but not much of a threat."

"Hey! I'm strong enough to beat you." She challenged. Mercury smirked.

"Yeah, that first time doesn't count. I still want a rematch."

"You're on, peg leg."

The two shook hands sealing the deal. Yang and Mercury watched the rest of the sunset together. The puffy clouds from earlier had completely covered the sky so no stargazing tonight. Not much moonlight either. Without the warmth of the sun, the air had gone from chilly to freezing in a matter of minutes. By the look of things her and Sun might wake up to snow tomorrow morning. Winter was finally here.

"Hey, Mercury?" Yang turned to him.

"Hmm?"

This next question was one she didn't really want to face. But she just had to ask. "What going to happen when we see each other again. Y'know, out there?"

Mercury sighed, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. He stayed silent. Yang continued.

"I don't really know why you stayed, but I am glad that you did. It's just- I'm kind of scared. And not just about my lack of an arm, I'm doing okay with that right now, but I'm scared for all of us. I'm scared that all of this meant nothing." Yang didn't really know what she was saying. But regardless of how he was taking it, it had to be said. She turned away not wanting to see his reaction.

"It didn't mean nothing." His voice was quiet, almost like a whisper. "The problem is; we kind of have to treat it like nothing."

Yang frowned. Part of her was weirdly excited about that first half of that sentence. It was amazing to find out that maybe; just maybe he had more in him than that cocky grin. But then he had to go and ruin it by jumping to the truth too fast. What a jerk.

"Yeah, you're right. Why do you have to be right?" She groaned.

"Because I actually take the time to think things through."

"Not everything." She teased. He grinned. "So, how big of a head start do I get?"

"Three days."

"Aw c'mon, peg leg. Can't I get a week?" Yang winked. She could have sworn he was blushing, but it was a little too dark to tell.

"Three days. Don't get cute."

"Did you just call me cute?"

Mercury's cheeks definitely turned red this time. "That's not what I meant!"

Yang burst out laughing. She had no idea the calm, cool guy in front of her could look so flustered. It was hands down the best thing she'd ever seen. Her gut was hurting by the time she finally calmed down. Mercury was glaring at her, clearly annoyed at his slip up. Yang's smile faltered. A cold wind ruffled his grey hair.

"It's getting late." She tugged on a strand of her hair.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I should take off; find something to keep me busy for a few days"

"So… see you later, Mercury. And thanks for, y'know. Everything."

"Yeah. See you, Yang." He turned around quickly, but she was still able to see it. The hurt. It hurt her too. But they were on opposite sides of a war. A war that he had a hand in starting. And right now no matter what had happened in the past week, they couldn't change the paths they were on. Yang watched him disappear into the trees. She stood for a little while longer. All she wanted to do was hold on to that moment, that feeling for just a little bit longer. But that moment was already gone. Yang turned and headed back home. Her muscles were sore and she was in desperate need of some sleep after the day she had. Her and Sun had a lot of ground to cover in three days. Not to mention they had to go and pick up Neptune. Yang felt that familiar fire begin to stir in her belly. A new adventure was waiting for them in the morning; and she had a three day head start.


End file.
